Effective Outlook | How to Manage Outlook using colours

Do you find it difficult to find emails when you have a long list of them in your inbox?

One way around this is to add colours to certain emails to make them stand out. This is done by using Categories and assigning a colour to each category and then assigning the category to the email. This sounds complicated but it isn’t really.

By assigning a colour to a category you can easily see at a glance which items relate to which category. There are 6 colours already setup and you can add an extra 19, giving 25 in total, more than enough for most people.

Categorising Emails

To set a category simply right click on the email and choose the colour you would like and give it a title. You can also add a keyboard shortcut. Alternatively if the message is open, on the Message tab, in the Options group, click Categorize, and then click a color category

How about assigning a separate colour to your most important clients for their own category so their emails stand out in your inbox?

If you then decide you want to change the colour simply right click and choose All Categories and choose a different colour.

Want to rename the category? right click and choose All Categories, highlight the one you wish to edit and then click on Rename.

It’s just as simple to assign a category to a contact, task or appointment.

Contacts

On the Contact tab, in the Options group, click Categorize, and then click a color category.

Tasks

On the Task tab, in the Options group, click Categorize, and then click a color category.

Appointments

On the Appointment tab or the Recurring Appointment tab, in the Options group, click Categorize, and then click a color category.

What have you found categories to be most useful for?

This is only a very small part of what Outlook can do. Want to know more? We provide personalised training courses on how to use MS Outlook to streamline your administration.

Find out how the “Go To Expert” LinkedIn VIP Day helps you boost your skills and knowledge in using LinkedIn to demonstrate your credibility and expertise in your field so you become a more visible expert.